There is now in widespread use a method of supplying compressed air through a flexible conduit line which can be quickly connected at one end to a source of supply of compressed air and at its other end to a pressure actuated device located at some distance from the source of supply. It has been found that accidental disconnecting of the flexible conduit line occurs quite frequently and when this takes place, whipping and lashing about of a disconnected conduit end creates a work hazard which may result in injury to a workman or to equipment.
Although the use of ball checks is well-known in the art, such devices are not being utilized in the type of conduit installation described due to disadvantages of one sort or another which makes their use impractical. Typical of conventional ball check arrangements are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 398,111, Abbot, et al; 1,498,477, Nichles; 1,759,798, Murphy et al; 2,274,511, Worthington; 2,368,281, Wittenberg; and 3,335,750, Kepner. None of the disclosed ball check arrangements are practical for the particular usage described above, and they fail to disclose a safety ball check which can be quickly reset without shutting off flow of compressed fluid from the source of supply.